She made a dismissive noise and stepped away from him to fiddle with something on the island.
“No, I won’t. I would kill for the head of hair Gillian has or for Anne’s eyes, but it’s certainly kind of you to say so. I think I clean up okay.”
“More than that, Sydney. I can scarcely breathe looking at ye.”
He looked over at her nervously, anticipating her response with every breath. When she smiled, some of his tension released, and he let out the breath he’d not known he held.
“I’m glad ye dinna take the potion, lass.”
She stopped her piddling and moved over to him, lacing her fingers with his own.
“I am, too. Do you plan on dancing tonight, Callum?”
“Aye. I’m quite good at it.”
She nodded. Both their chests seemed to be rising and falling more quickly than normal as their conversation progressed.
“Hmm…I’m sure you are. You’ll dance with many girls then?”
He knew she meant to tease him. It was a ridiculous question. Surely she knew that after the last words he said to her. “I may, but not a one will capture me the way ye have.”
She smiled and stood on the tips of her toes to quickly kiss the end of his nose.
“Good. I’m sure glad you didn’t expect me to just dance with you. I was looking forward to making my way around the dance floor.”
“I take it back, lass. I’ll only dance with ye if it means I can keep ye all to myself. I know my men too well. It wouldna please me at all to see ye dancing with another.”
Sydney stepped away from him, dismissing his concern.
“I can handle myself when it comes to men. Let’s just both enjoy the dancing as much as we can.”
“Aye, go and have yerself a bonny time then. I’ll find Morna and meet ye later on. I can hear noise stirring above. It seems the feast is starting.”
CHAPTER 21
The entire evening had me feeling like an alien on a strange planet. Everything from the utensils used for the feast to the kinds of dancing in the main hall that I was completely unfamiliar with—I couldn’t seem to keep up with any of it.
It took me a good ten minutes after Callum left me standing in the kitchen to get control over my breathing again. The effect we seemed to have on one another baffled me. How could I already feel so strongly about someone I scarcely knew at all? It was more than that even. If my gut was right, Callum’s feelings were a fair match for my own. It both terrified and delighted me.
Callum’s own good looks struck me the moment I saw him, but it truthfully never occurred to me that he would feel the same way about me. In my own experience with men, they never did. Not that I believed men found me unattractive, but somehow over the years, I’d done a fine job of choosing men to date that I didn’t really care for and an even better job of dating men that cared for me even less.
For a long while, I couldn’t see the pattern, but after a string of break-ups that left me feeling relieved rather than saddened, I knew why. To date someone where real mutual feelings existed, I would have to put in time and effort, and my job left me with little to give to anyone.
Perhaps if I’d known how it could make one feel—the heart-pounding, blood-pulsing breathlessness; the anticipation, anxiety, and longing—I would’ve cared more about what I’d given up for so long.
Now, as I stood weak-legged and shaky, leaning against one of the walls in the main hall watching dozens of happy men and women dancing, I couldn’t imagine denying myself the possibility of feeling so alive ever again.
I could tell that whatever Callum needed to speak with Morna about was important, so I didn’t mind attending the feast and dancing alone until he returned. Crowds, even rowdy ones such as this, didn’t make me uncomfortable. I enjoyed meeting new people and conversing with strangers during such gatherings. It was only when the dancing really began and invitations began to come my way that I hesitated. I was nervous about my inability to follow someone’s lead.
At first I considered waiting for Callum, but there was no way to know just how long he would be. After a few invitations, I decided that it really didn’t matter if I sucked. I happily took the hand of the stranger standing in front of me as we danced our way back into the center of the crowd.
Thankfully, my lack of experience with Scottish dancing didn’t matter one bit. Each new partner seemed better skilled than the last in the best way to lead me, and I glided around moving easily to another strapping Scot with each new song. I became so swept up in the fun and endless movement of it all that I didn’t even notice Callum’s arrival until his hand reached for my wrist. His swift tug pulled me away from my current partner and spun me into his arms where he easily picked up the dance where the last man left off.
I smiled but chided him as I glanced over my shoulder to see the crestfallen expression on the stranger’s face.
“You could’ve let him finish the dance with me.”
“No. I couldna wait another moment.”
He held me close against him, much closer than any other partner. I could feel the tightness of his body against me. It was enough to make me shiver as we spun together.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Long enough to see ye dance with three of my cousins and the stable boy. I dinna care for it.”
I laughed, secretly tickled by his jealousy. “Well, I did. I was having a great time.”
He shrugged his shoulders. As I glanced up, I noticed that with each new turn, he moved us further away from the crowd.
“Mayhap so, but ye will enjoy dancing with me more. Come with me. We’ll still be able to hear the music, but we can dance in private. Ye are not verra good at it. I’d like to spare ye the embarrassment.”
“Ha.” I laughed. As he let me go, I crossed my arms indignantly at him. “No one else seemed to mind what a bad dancer I am.”
He smiled and gave me a brief wink before jerking his head up the stairs. “I doona mind either. ’Twas just an excuse to get ye alone. Come with me. Have ye seen the tower in this time yet?”
To my surprise, I realized I had not. “No. I would like to though.”
“Good.”
He took the steps more quickly than I could in my dress, but at the top, the climb was undoubtedly worth it. The moon shone brightly through a series of windows surrounding the circular room while electric torches hung between each pane of glass. Stone benches sat around the outer rim of the room, and the soft sound of music gently reverberated off the stones in a way that made it sound even more beautiful than it had downstairs.
“Wow.” It was a fairly pathetic response, but Callum seemed to appreciate it, mimicking my speech as he smiled and moved to sit on one of the benches, motioning for me to do the same.
“Aye. Wow.”
The word sounded funny coming out of his mouth, and I laughed at him as I joined him on the seat.
“It looks so much better now.”
“Aye, but it will look just as beautiful as this in my own time soon.”
I knew that was true. Even crumbling, it was beautiful. Once whole, it would be as astonishing as it was now.
When I moved to join him, I noticed the cot on the other side of the room.
“What is that?”
He looked down, and something near embarrassment crossed his face.
“Ach, I meant to put it away before I brought ye here. The tower serves as my bedchamber now—only until the castle is finished.”
“Why aren’t you in a room?”
“I was for a long while.”
“Well, who kicked you out?”
He just grinned back at me, and I realized what I should’ve from the moment I arrived. Of course there wasn’t a spare room laying empty for me with as many people as there were currently staying at the castle.
“Oh my gosh. It’s me. I kicked you out. You gave up your room so I could stay there. Let’s switch. You’re the one working so hard. I really don’t want to be the
one responsible for putting you out of your room.”
He reached up to brush a hair out of my face, the touch of his thumb trailing its way across my face causing my breath to catch as he spoke.
“I’ll not be trading with ye. I’m happy where I am.”
“Well, I’m not happy where I am—not now that I know my arrival kicked you out of your room.”
He shook his head in frustration. My response was exactly why he’d wished to rid the tower of the cot before I could see it.
“Sydney, I willna listen to another word about this. I brought ye here so I could kiss ye senseless not so ye would worry over where I lay my head at night. Can ye not see the view I have? I go to sleep each night watching the stars above me, all while being warmed by the nearby heater and sleeping on a bed softer than any I slept on in my life before living in this time. I’m not suffering, I assure ye.”
“All right. I’ll let it go. What’s that other thing you just said?”
“I doona know what ye mean. That I go to sleep watching the stars?”
I leaned forward to kiss him as a reminder. “No. Not that part. I’m pretty sure you know what I’m referring to.”
“Oh, the kissing ye senseless part? Aye, I remember it well.”
“Laird MacChristy! Come quick. We’ve captured a man many believe to be Macaslan.”
The man’s panicked voice reached us before he appeared, but by the time the man made it to the tower, Callum was already on his feet ready to go.
“Are ye certain, lad?”
“No, sir. I’ve never seen the man, but others recognize him.”
Callum didn’t turn toward me as he spoke but grabbed my wrist so that I would follow him as he hurried down the stairs.
“Sydney, if it is indeed Laird Macaslan, many months of searching and waiting for the bastard to make himself known will come to an end this night. Go to yer bedchamber and doona leave until I come and tell ye ’tis safe to do so. Macaslan wouldna come alone. Lock yer door and swear to me ye willna come out. Do ye swear it, lass?”
“Yes. Go. I’ll be fine. It’s not far to my room.”
On hearing my words, he released my arm and ran ahead of me.
I’d nearly reached my room when a cold breeze from the open door across from my own drew my attention to the activity within. Every other door was closed. I thought it odd at first sight, but when the outside breeze blew my dress from all the way out in the hall, I couldn’t resist peeking inside.
The only source of light within was the few candles burning on the bedside table and the moonlight streaming in from the open window, but it was bright enough that I could clearly see Jerry tucked into his bed.
He lay covered with his head propped up on a pile of pillows, but his head faced away from me as he looked toward the open window.
I took a step inside, wondering if perhaps a breeze blew the window open, and he was too tired or frail to get up and close it himself.
When I spoke, his head whipped toward me. His eyes were wide. Tears streamed down his face. I rushed toward him.
“Are you cold, Jerry? Is everything all right? Let me close the window for you.”
I started to take a step away from his side, but his arm shot out from beneath the covers, and he reached for my hand preventing me from doing so.
He turned away from me once more. Only then did I notice the cloaked figure standing just out of the moonbeam’s light. I’d only heard mention of her once, but I knew immediately who she was.
“Go, Grier, ye must leave here now.” Jerry’s voice sounded desperate. At his words, she stepped into the light and looked directly at him.
Her expression looked as pained as Jerry’s. Tears streamed down her face, as well. I knew nothing about her other than what Callum had told me, but there was no doubting the intimacy that lay between this woman and Jerry. It was as clear as day in both of their eyes.
“Take what I gave ye, Jerry. ’Tis the only way ye will survive what’s stirring within ye.”
Jerry released my hand as the witch jumped through the window. I ran toward her, leaning out to look for any trace of her. There was none.
My body shook from the shock of it all. With trembling hands, I closed the window and returned to Jerry’s bedside, no longer caring if Macaslan had men roaming all about the castle. Jerry’s pain seemed so much more pressing than my own safety.
“Why are you crying, Jerry?”
“I made peace with the fact that I would never see Grier again a lifetime ago. Even after learning she was alive, I never dreamt our paths would cross. Now that they have, to have her part from me feels like the first time all over again.”
“You were close?”
Even if he hadn’t answered me, his eyes would’ve been answer enough.
“Aye. My memories of her are not as harsh as my wife’s. Though I know Morna has good reason for the way she feels about Grier, I doona share her hatred of the lass. Morna owns my heart and always has, but Grier knows my soul in a way none ever will.”
“And you know hers just as well?”
He reached for my hand once again. This time there was less urgency in his squeeze. Taking my free hand, I moved to brush the tears from his cheeks.
“I do. She is not the woman Morna believes her to be. Morna will come to see that in time. Grier and I have made a plan.”
“A plan?” I smiled at him. The sudden look of excitement on his face made him look like a young, adventurous child rather than the old man he was.
“Aye.”
He gave a short laugh, but his smile quickly faded as his hand flew to his chest. His face blanched, and he groaned in agony as I stood there startled and confused. He struggled to speak.
“Doona panic, lass, but I believe I’m having a heart attack. I’ve aspirin in my bag. Can ye grab it?”
I ran toward his bag, fumbling through it until my hands found the bottle of pills. I opened it as quickly as I could and all but shoved the pills down his throat. As he swallowed, I remembered Grier’s words to him before she jumped.
If Jerry believed her harmless, so did I. From the way Callum spoke of the witch, he had the same impression of her. He needed to take whatever she’d left him.
“What did Grier give you? Where is it?”
He shook his head as he continued to clutch his chest. He rolled over to his side in the bed. I feared he was about to vomit.
“No. I willna take it. If I do so now, Morna will believe that Grier caused this not helped it.”
I glanced back and forth across the room, looking for anything potion-like in appearance. When I spotted the bottle next to him on the bed, I dove for it.
“I don’t care what Morna thinks. Would you rather her find you dead or be suspicious of Grier? We can explain it to her later. Open your damn mouth.”
His eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness. In the same instant, I pried his mouth open, popped the cork from the bottle, and poured the contents down his throat. Once every last drop was gone, I screamed at the top of my lungs for help.
CHAPTER 22
Cars, as much as he loved them, were no longer the most fascinating thing he’d seen during his time in the twenty-first century—not after seeing a hospital. They worked on Jerry so quickly, so urgently, that Callum could scarcely believe how things progressed once they arrived.
According to his doctors, Jerry was lucky. The heart attack was mild, and no surgery would be necessary, although he would have to take medication to keep it from happening again. While Jerry was determined to ignore the last piece of the doctor’s advice, Callum was determined to make sure he kept it. Lifestyle changes would be a necessity.
“Can ye hurry it along, Callum? I’m ready to be back at the castle. Three days in the hospital is long enough.”
Callum continued to drive at the same speed although he doubted there was any way that Jerry was more eager to arrive than he was. Jerry had been needlessly difficult the entire ride.
&nb
sp; “I know ye’re ready, but ye’ll have to wait just a few minutes more.”
“I doona know why ye felt the need to stay and care for me. Ye’ve got yer own things that need tending to, I know. I would have been fine on me own.”
Callum wouldn’t dream of leaving his dear friend at the hospital to deal with Morna’s endless berating alone. As difficult as Jerry had been over the past days, Morna had been doubly so.
It didn’t take long after Callum left to look for Macaslan during the party for him to realize the lad who’d interrupted him and Sydney in the tower had lied. Rather than lead Callum straight to where he said men were holding their captor, he weaved strange patterns through the castle, pretending to be lost. His men had spent so much time in the castle over the past month, he knew not a one of them could ever get lost within the halls of Cagair Castle, no matter the century.
It took only a few questions for the boy to come clean to him. No one had seen Macaslan. There was no one held captive by his men. Instead, a woman the boy didn’t know offered him money to serve as a distraction.
Callum knew it had to be Grier. While on his way to search for the witch, he heard Sydney’s screams for help.
“I’ve nothing that needs attending to, save ye, Jerry. And unless ye are ready to return home, ye needed me there to combat Morna’s wishes that she take ye straight from the hospital back home. She is not pleased that we are returning ye to Cagair Castle.”
“Aye, I know she isn’t, but she canna care for me alone, not without her magic, and she’s already sworn that she willna use it on me. It will be better that I stay at Cagair until I am better. Her reasons for wanting me away from Cagair are not valid. Grier dinna do this to me. I know it, but she willna listen.”
Callum knew the truth of it too. Morna was just too stubborn and worried over Jerry to see it.
I knew Jerry was back from the hospital by the extra car parked out front, but I’d yet to gather the courage to check in on him. The last thing I wanted to do was intrude or be in the way. From everything I’d heard, he would be okay. I couldn’t be more thankful for that. If I was ever given the opportunity to see Grier again, I would make certain I hugged her neck.
Love Beyond Belief (Book 7 of Morna’s Legacy Series) Page 11
